Center pin for body and truck bolsters of railway cars



Oct. 18, 1949. K. WILLIAMS 2,485,426 CENTER PIN FOR BODY AND TRUCK BOLSTERS OF RAILWAY CARS Filed 001:. 29, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l (1 Z c v I Inv'en/or: 28 s 28 Zap/h Mfljams.

Oct. 18, 1949. K. WILLIAMS CENTER PIN FOR BODY AND TRUCK BOLSTERS OF RAILWAY CARS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 29, 1947 Invenfir: fie 1% mqz am. fi g g Patented Oct. 18, 1949 CENTER PIN FOR BODYAND TRUCK BOLSTERS OF RAILWAY CARS Keith Williams, .Buifalo, N. Y.

Application October 29, 1947, Serial No. 782,709

This invention relates to improvements in locking center pins forconnecting the body and truck bolsters of railway cars.

One object of the invention is to provide a locking center pin of the character hereinbefore set forth, comprising a plurality of outer members having shouldered engagement with the body and truck bolsters respectively, and a filler element for holding the outer members of the pin spread apart, wherein simple and efiicient means for locking the fillerelement against removal, in the form of a locking sleeve rotatably connected to the filler element, is provided.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide locking means of the character indicated, in the form of a rotatable sleeve having radially extending locking lugs, provided with downwardly opening seats engageable over radially inwardly extending supporting lugs on the outer members of the pin, and being turnable in reverse directions to bring the lugs into locking engagement with each other and unlock these lugs in the operations of applying and removing the center pin.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the body and truck bolsters of a railway car, illustrating my improved center pin in connection therewith. Figure 2 is a broken front elevational view, on an enlarged scale, of the lower end portion of the center pin shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view corresponding substantially to the line 3-3 of Figure 2. Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of Figure 2. Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view, corresponding substantially to the line 55 of Figure 2,1ooking upwardly in said figure. Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 3, showing a step of the assembling operation of the pin. Figure '7 is an elevational view of the locking sleeve of my improved pin as illustrated in Figure 2. Figure 8 is a top plan view of Figure 1, partly broken away. Figure 9 is a bottom plan view of the locking sleeve illustrated in Figure 1. Figure 10 is a top plan view of the filler element of the center pin illustrated in Figure 1.

In said drawings, I0 indicates the body bolster of a railway car, and H the truck bolster. The

. body and truck bolsters are'of well-known design,

4 Claims. (01. 105400) ing, horizontal, annular flange l 3 between the top and bottom ends thereof, thereby providing a shoulder for the head at the upper end of the center pin. The truck bolster ll has a downwardly opening pocket I iadapted to accommodate the head at the lower end of the center pin and is provided with anopening l5 communicating with said pocket, which opening is in alignment with and of the same diameter as the open ing defined by the flange 13 of the section l2 of the body bolster. The wall surrounding the openinterposed therebetween, the'bolster l0 being supported on the plate I! and having a depending tubular flange l9 engaged in a central'circular opening of the plate, and the bolster l I supporting the plate l8 and having an annular upstanding flange 20 thereon defining a .pocket within which the plate 18 is'seated. The lower bearing plate H}, which supports the plate H, has an opening 2| therein adapted to accommodate the shank of the center pin, the opening being surrounded by the usual upstanding bearing flange 22 which extends into and has bearing engagement with a central bearing pocket 23 in the plate l1.

My improved locking center pin as shown in the drawings, comprises broadly three outer members AAA, a filler element B, and a locking sleeve C.

The outer members A are three in number and are symmetrically arranged about the central vertical axis of the pin. .Each outer member is of sector-shaped cross section having laterally outwardly diverging side faces 24-44 and a curved outer face 25. At the top and bottom ends,'each member A is provided with outwardly projecting arcuate flanges forming top and bottom head portions 26 and 21. The three members A of the pin are identical and when assembled present a sectional, cylindrical pin having a shank of circular cross section and head members at opposite ends. The ,top flange or head portion of each outer member is eccentric to the cylindrical outer face '25 which defines a portion of the cylindrical outer surface of the shank of the pin, the flange or head'portion 26 being of such a size that it will readily pass through the pin-receiving openings of the body and truck bolsters when the filler element B is absent and the outer members AA-A are in "contracted condition. The bottom head portions 21 of the three outer members are concentric with the cylindrical shank of the pin and are adapted to overlap the shoulder l6 of the truck bolster. The bottom head portion 21 of each outer member A is provided with a depending arm 28 which is located midway between the side faces 24-424 of said member and has a laterally inwardly extending, horizontally disposed, supporting lug 29 at its lower end which is radial to the vertical central axis of the pin.

The filler element B comprises a central shank portion 30 and three platelike radial wings 3l3l3l extending from said shank portion.

The platelike Wings 3l--3 l-3l fill the spaces between the outer members AAA to form with said outer members a complete pin of true cylindrical cross section. The shank 30 is extended below the lower ends of the wings 3I3i-3l and said extended portion is provided with a cylindrical bearing portion 32 of reduced size, on which the sleeve C is supported for rotation. At the upper end of the bearing portion 32, the shank 30 of the element B presents a downwardly facing shoulder 33 adapted to bear on the upper end of the sleeve C. At the lower end thereof, each wing 31 is laterally enlarged to provide a headlike portion 34 adapted to engage underneath the shoulder it of the truck bolster to limit upward displacement of the filler element. The headlike portions 3434--34 are of lesser thickness in height than the bottom flanges of the outer members of the center pin, as clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3, whereby the filler element B and locking sleeve C may be lifted upwardly to a sufficient extent to effect unlocking of the sleeve from the lugs 29 of the outer members.

The locking sleeve C is in the form of a collar which is rotatably mounted on the bearing portion 32 of the filler element B and has three radially projecting locking arms 35--3 --35 thereon adapted to rest on the lugs 29-29-29 of the outer members, each arm being provided with a downwardly opening pocket or seat 36 in which the corresponding lug 29 is engageable. The arms 35 are of such a size that they will freelypass through the spaces between the lugs 29-29-49 of the adjacent outer members of the pin as the sleeve is moved vertically in applying or removing the same.

In the assembled condition of the pin, the weight of the filler element, by engagement of the shoulder 33 thereof with the sleeve C, holds the latter in looking engagement with the outer members AAA to prevent rotation of said sleeve, the arms 35 of the latter being interlocked with the lugs 29 of the outer members through the pockets 36 being seated over these lugs. The sleeve C in turn effectively retains the filler element in position between the outer members by supporting the same against downward movement. As a further safeguard against the sleeve becoming unlocked from the outer members, a cotter pin 46 may be used to lock the sleeve C to the filler element B, the bearing portion of the shank 39 of the element B and the opposed walls of the sleeve C being provided with aligned openings 4! and 42 for this purpose.

In applying my improved center pin, the three outer members AAA are first inserted in the openings of the bolsters, from beneath the truck bolster, and spread apart to bring the heads thereof in shouldered engagement with the bolsters. After spreading apart the outer members, the filler element B is inserted from beneath the truck bolster, the wings 3l3l3l being engaged between the outer members. Then the sleeve C is placed on the bearing portion 32 of the filler element B and forced upwardly until the arms 35-35-45 thereof reach a level above the lugs 29-2929 of the outer members AAA, the sleeve having been first turned to align the arms 35-35-45 with the openings between the lugs 292929 to pass through said openings. While the sleeve C is being thus forced upwardly, the same comes into engagement with the shoulder 33 of the filler element lifting the same therewith. With the arms 35 disposed above the level of the lugs 292929, the sleeve C is given a partial turn either to the right or left to engage the arms 35 over the lugs 29 with the pockets 36 of the arms registering with said lugs, as shown in Figure 5. The sleeve C and the filler element B which is supported thereon are then permitted to drop to engage the pockets 36 over the lugs and lock the sleeve against rotation. As a further safeguard, the cotter pin 40 may then be applied through the openings 4! and 42 of the filler element and the sleeve.

To remove the center pin, the procedure is the reverse of that just described. The sleeve is first raised or pushed upwardly to disengage the arms 35 from the lugs 29, lifting the filler element therewith. The sleeve thus being freed for rotation is turned to register the arms 35 with the openings between the lugs 29, thereby permitting withdrawal of the sleeve and the filler element B. After removal of the filler element B, the outer members AAA are collapsed and removed.

I claim:

1. A center pin for connecting the body and truck bolsters of a railway car, wherein the bolsters are provided with aligned center pin-receiving openings, said center pin being insertable from beneath said truck bolster, said pin including a plurality of outer members heated at oppo" site ends and a filler element having wings extending between said outer members, said filler element holding the heads of the outer members in shouldered engagement with the bolsters, said filler element having a depending axial bearing projection thereon, a locking sleeve rotatably mounted on said bearing projection, said looking sleeve supporting said filler element against removal in downward direction, spaced locking projections on said sleeve, and spaced lugs on said outer members on which said locking projections are supported, said sleeve being rotatable on said bearing projection to engage said locking projections over said lugs and disengage the same therefrom.

2. A center pin for connecting the body and truck bolsters of a railway car, wherein the bolsters are provided with aligned center pin-receiving openings, said center pin being insertable from 'beneath said truck bolster, said pin including a plurality of outer members headed at opposite ends and a central filler element having wings engaged between said outer members for holding the pin expanded with the heads in shouldered engagement with the bolsters, said filler element having a depending central bearing projection, a locking sleeve rotatably supported on said projection, circumferentially spaced radial- 1y inwardly extending lugs on the lower ends of said outer members surrounding said sleeve, and radially projecting arms on said sleeve having downwardly opening slots therein engageable over said lugs, said sleeve supporting said filler element against removal in downward direction, said locking sleeve, with the filler element supported thereon, being vertically movable between said lugs of said outer members to position the arms of said sleeve above said lugs, and being turnable about the vertical :axis of the pin to bring said slots in said arms in registering relation with respect to said lugs.

3. A center pin for connecting the body and truck bolsters of a railway car, wherein the 1101- sters are provided with aligned center pin-receiving openings, said center pin being insertable from beneath said truck bolster, said pin including a plurality of outer members headed at opposite ends, and a filler element having wings extending between said outer members, said filler element holding the heads of the outer members in shouldered engagement with the bolsters, said filler element having a depending axial bearing projection thereon, a locking sleeve rotatably mounted on said bearing projection, said locking sleeve supporting said filler element against removed in downward direction, spaced locking projections on said sleeve, spaced lugs on :said outer members on which said locking projections are supported, said sleeve being rotatable on said bearing projection to engage said locking projections over said lugs and disengage the same therefrom, and means for locking said sleeve against rotation with respect to said outer members, said means being held in looking engagement by the weight or said filler element.

4. A center pin for connecting the body and truck bolsters of a railway car, wherein the bolsters are provided with aligned center pin-receiving openings, said center pin being insertable from beneath said truck bolster, said pin including a plurality of outer members headed at opposite ends and a central filler element havin wings engaged between said outer members for holding the pin expanded with the heads in shouldered engagement with the bolsters, a locking member below said filler element, circumferentially s-paced radially inwardly extending lugs on the lower ends of said outer members surrounding said locking member, and radially projecting arms on said locking member having downwardly opening slots therein engageable over said lugs, said locking member supporting said filler element against removal in downward direction, said locking member, with the filler element supported thereon, being vertically movable between said lugs; of said outer members to position the arms of said locking member above said lugs, and being turrrable to bring said slots in said :arms in registering relation with respect to said lugs.

KEITH WILLIAMS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,730,824 OConrror Oct. 8, 1929 1,755,409 OConnor Apr. 22, 1930 2,225,711 Olander Dec. 24, 1940 2,236,596 Haseltine Apr. 1, 1941 2,252,889 Haseltine Aug. 19, 1941 2,351,218 Lounsbury June 13, 1944 

